The silly season was declared last week, the Beano celebrated its 80th anniversary, the festival of racing at Ballybrit is now upon us and the TV series of the decade has just ended, Love Island. It has been the biggest ever show on UK and Irish tellies.

The series had an audience reach of a staggering 1.8 million eyeballs, with 46% of 15-44 year olds tuning in at some point. If these figures weren’t large enough, the series scooped a whopping 9 million online streams, which was a massive win for TV3.

If a bridge could be built from Love Island to a race for the Park, who knows where we would be.

Since our President first mooted that he plans to run again, not a day goes by that candidates have been popping up with freshly groomed hair, suited and booted, enjoying great enthusiasm for themselves as they wallow in the intense media spotlight of this summer’s silly season.

As the song goes, ‘’I wake up every morning with a smile on my face, my natural exuberance spills all over the place’’.

Some of these candidates have been thunderstruck with levels of modesty and have later decided not to run, while comfortably knowing that they have bagged large amounts of media exposure.

If you are asking for advice, please don’t do it. Think of your family and friends. They have been kind to you over the years, so why suggest this now!

You are going to say ‘’for the past weeks and months, many people have come to me and asked me to run’’. You will also say ‘’it’s a humbling experience’’.

You might also say ‘’it’s not about me, it’s about the people of Ireland. I have spent many hours talking to myself and believe I want to go further for the greatest little country in the world. The humbling groundswell of support has asked me to run.’’

Let’s see how the current crop of candidates, excited by their new found fame, survive the next couple of weeks with quotes such as ‘’I have plenty of skeletons in my cupboard, but I ain’t no Donald Trump’’.

While these are moments of very light relief, this is an important competition.

I have been involved in many, many campaigns over the past 25 years and I have seen many strong, charismatic people reduced day-by-day, minute-by-minute by the onslaught of media pressure. Pressure in the context of the media knowing more about you than you do yourself.

The last campaign in 2011 was 24/7. This time, it will be 24/7 plus social media and an intense rivalry between print, digital and TV broadcasters to become the story – not the candidates. When you add in the mistrust of social media as to what rival candidates might be seeking to do, this is truly a summer cocktail that, once ignited, will fizzle out quickly.

Much like Love Island, we will all be tuning in to see the latest twists and turns, the paranoia, the crying, biting, dumping, fighting, fake tanning and very loud sloppy kissing before we find out who the public has chosen.